1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise devices and methods of use, specifically an exercising device configured to perform upper body and abdominal type exercise and a method of use.
2. Description of the Related Art
A physical exercise is a bodily activity that develops and maintains physical fitness and overall health. It is often practiced to strengthen muscles and the cardiovascular system, and to hone athletic skills. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent diseases of affluence such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. It also improves mental health and helps prevent depression. Exercises are generally grouped into three types depending on the overall effect they have on the human body:
Flexibility exercises such as stretching improve the range of motion of muscles and joints. Aerobic exercises such as cycling, walking, running, hiking or playing tennis focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance. Anaerobic exercises such as weight training, functional training or sprinting increase short-term muscle strength. Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system.
Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression. Strength training appears to have continuous energy-burning effects that persist for about 24 hours after the training, though they do not offer the same cardiovascular benefits as aerobic exercises do. Exercise can also increase energy and raise one's threshold for pain.
There is conflicting evidence as to whether vigorous exercise (more than 70% of VO2 Max) is more or less beneficial than moderate exercise (40 to 70% of VO2 Max). Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can effectively increase opioid peptides (aka endorphins, a naturally occurring opiate that in conjunction with other neurotransmitters is responsible for exercise induced euphoria and has been shown to be addictive), positively influence hormone production (i.e., increase testosterone and growth hormone), benefits that are not as fully realized with moderate exercise.
Exercise has been shown to improve cognitive functioning via improvement of hippocampus-dependent spatial learning, and enhancement of synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. In addition, physical activity has been shown to be neuroprotective in many neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. For instance, it reduces the risk of developing dementia. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that frequent exercise may reverse alcohol-induced brain damage.
Physical activity is thought to have other beneficial effects related to cognition as it increases levels of nerve growth factors, which support the survival and growth of a number of neuronal cells. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise also work to increase the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing cardiac volume (aerobic exercise), or myocardial thickness (strength training, see Organ hypertrophy). Not everyone benefits equally from exercise. There is tremendous variation in individual response to training: where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others will never get any benefit at all from the exercise. Similarly, only a minority of people will show significant muscle growth after prolonged weight training, while a larger fraction experience improvements in strength. This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population. Studies have shown that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life.
Exercise equipment is any object used in exercise. This can include balls, treadmills, weights, light benches, bicycles, track shoes, jungle gyms, hydraulic equipment or protective equipment such as a back brace. However, current exercise equipment does not provide a simple and convenient abdominal workout that can easily be performed in a small area and/or be performed without excessive equipment. In particular, an arm pad device and method of exercising that efficiently and conveniently exercise abdominal muscles. Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below, and the supported teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,791, issued to Edwards, discloses Yoga grip blocks having one or more block sections and a grip section that provide support and comfort in the practice of yoga exercises. The invention includes preferred materials to fabricate yoga grip blocks and describes methods of using yoga grip blocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,347, issued to Smith, discloses a device for exercising abdominal muscles comprising a platform having an upper surface and a lower surface adapted for omni-directional motion, a pair of generally longitudinal limb supporting areas positioned on said upper surface, a pair of lateral hand grips each of said pair extending from the upper surface of the platform and disposed in opposed relation laterally and outwardly from one of said limb supporting areas, and a front hand grip extending from the upper surface of the platform and disposed generally forward of the limb supporting areas. Methods for using this device are also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,778, issued to Thomas, Jr., discloses an exercising device for doing a variation of a push-up exercise. The exercising device includes a base, a platform rotatably connected to the base having a plane of rotation, a support extending upwardly from the rotating platform, approximately perpendicular to the plane of rotation, and a handle removably connected to the support, the handle capable of rotation, independent of the support and the platform. And novel exercises using the above device.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: 2006/0014615, by Godbold, discloses a rotatable hand supports for performing pushups on a floor or ground surface. The handle of the supports has a grip portion adapted to be grasped by a user. The rotatable base is base has a bottom portion adapted to contact the floor, a top portion rotatably connected to the bottom portion, and a bearing assembly supporting the top portion on said bottom portion. A support connects the handle to the top portion of the base and supports the handle at an elevated position relative to the base and above the floor.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: 2006/0040809, by Godbold, discloses a rotatable hand supports for performing advanced pushups on a floor or ground surface. The main handle of the supports has a grip portion constructed to be grasped by a user. The base has a bottom portion adapted to contact the floor, a top portion rotatably connected to the bottom portion, and a bearing assembly supporting the top portion on said bottom portion. A support connects the handle to the top portion of the base and supports the handle at an elevated position relative to the base and above the floor. A hand clutch extends from the main handle and can be squeezed to perform hand-grip exercises simultaneously with a pushup exercise.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include being ineffective, being inefficient, being bulky, being difficult to use, being expensive, being excessive in size, being limited in application, and being limited in adaptability.
What is needed is an exercise device and method of use that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.